Five Dutch soldiers were injured during a NATO exercise in Germany when a Boxer armored fighting vehicle collided with a Fennek reconnaissance vehicle, the Dutch Ministry of Defence has announced.
The units were participating in Grand Quadriga, a part of NATO’s Steadfast Defender Exercise that seeks to hone the alliance’s alerting, troop relocating, and combat maneuvers.
Three of the soldiers were taken to local hospitals, while the other two only sustained minor bruises.
The Royal Military Constabulary and Defence Safety Inspectorate have launched investigations to find out what caused the collision.
Notable NATO Accidents
Last month, a Dutch soldier died after sustaining injuries in an accident involving a CV90 armored infantry vehicle.
The incident occurred at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Bavaria, where NATO allies took part in drills to prepare Germany’s 41st Panzergrenadier Brigade.
In 2022, a V-22B Osprey plane crashed during Exercise Cold Response in Norway, killing all four crewmembers.
Investigations revealed that a pilot error caused the accident.
Aside from enforcing routine workplace safety precautions, NATO ensures its safety protocols are strictly adhered to by assessing and monitoring its military personnel’s deployability based on physical and mental health.
